The most famous sermon given by any puritan was probably “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” It was preached by Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758) in what is now Connecticut on July 8, 1741.

The story goes that Edwards had difficulty even making it through the sermon because of how the congregation reacted. They didn’t react in offense—as some might expect—instead, they reacted as those being convicted by the Holy Spirit and brought to repentance. They pleaded for Edwards to tell them how they could be saved. This was because they had been confronted with the truth of their sin and were coming to terms with their standing before this holy God and, at the same time, they were being confronted by that same God—in Christ—and his great love for them.